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Monday, February 22, 2016

Shorebirds are a common sight in Floridian nature. Black skimmers “skim” the surface of the water with
black-tipped bright red bills. The lower half of the bill is longer than
the upper, allowing it to cut through the water and dip down to grab
small fish encountered near the surface. Adult plumage is black above,
white below and this striking combination, coupled with the brightly
colored bill, makes it easy to spot the birds as they hunt over the
water or loaf on the beach with other seabirds and shorebirds. Black
skimmers, and least, royal and sandwich terns nest in colonies in the
open sand on beaches, sandbars, and dredge material islands. Their nests
are built on the ground and often consist of simple scrapes in the sand.
(Due to habitat loss, a very small percentage of black skimmers also
nest on gravel roofs!) Black skimmers rely on camouflage or group
mobbing to protect their nests. Breeding colonies of black skimmers can
be found along Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Watch for them in the
early evening when they actively feed, and scan flocks of loafing birds
for this uncommon coastal resident.

With its black and white plumage, long, thin red legs,
and long neck, the Black-necked Stilt is both striking and delicate in
appearance. It is a medium-sized shorebird with a black needle-like
bill, black or dark brown upperparts, and a white breast. The iris is
red, and there is a white spot above the eye. Breeding males have glossy
black wings, back, and back of neck, and a pink tinge on the breast.
Non-breeding males lack the glossiness and pink tinge. Adult females
have a brown tinge to the back. Juveniles have brown upperparts with
buff feather margins, and a white trailing edge to the wing in flight.
Five species of rather similar-looking stilts are recognized in the
genus Himantopus. They have the second-longest legs in proportion to
their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos. This bird's
habitat includes salt ponds, rice fields, shallow lagoons, and mangrove
swamps. Black-necked Stilts most often consume aquatic invertebrates.
They also sometimes eat tadpoles, tiny fish, and seeds of aquatic
plants. Pairs form on wintering grounds, during migration, or on
breeding grounds; pairs remain monogamous throughout the breeding
season. Both sexes choose the nest site, which is often on a small
island in the marsh.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Seals live in the oceans of both hemispheres and are mostly confined to
polar, sub-polar, and temperate climates, with the exception of the more
tropical monk seals. True seals inhabit all oceans, except the Indian
Ocean. Some species live in inland lakes in Siberia, Russia, and
Finland. Seals forage, search for food, at sea, but haul out (get out of
the water) to land to breed, molt, or shed fur, and rest. Seals eat
mostly fish, but also feed on krill, squid, octopuses, and other seals.
True seals congregate on land or ice to breed and molt. The males and
females of some species migrate, travel, separately from breeding to
foraging areas, some traveling as far south as Florida. Others species
do not migrate.

Adult hooded seals have black heads and silver-gray coats
with dark blotches of varying sizes and shapes across their bodies. Pups
are called "blue-backs" for their coat of blue-gray on their backs and
whitish bellies; this coat is shed after 14 months of age when they
molt. Adult males measure around 8 feet long and weigh about 660
pounds. Adult females are noticeably smaller, measuring around 7 feet
in length and weighing about 440 pounds. The hooded seal is unique for
the elastic bi-lobed nasal cavity, or "hood", that adult males can
inflate and extend from the front of their face to the top of their
head. Sexually mature males also have an elastic nasal septum, which,
when inflated, resembles a pinkish red balloon, to attract females'
attention during mating season and to display hostility towards other
males. Hooded seals usually dive for food to depths of about 325-1,950
feet for 15 minutes at a time. Adult hooded seals feed on squid,
starfish, mussels, and fish such as Greenland halibut, redfish, cod,
capelin, and herring. Hooded seals live on drifting pack ice and in deep
waters. Some drift far away from their northern habitat towards much
warmer regions every year, but they survive best in colder climates, as
heat and constant sun exposure is harmful to them. Hooded seals are
migratory and can wander long distances; they have occasionally been
found as far south as Florida, California, and the Caribbean.